Prior ironing and clothes pressing devices are known. Typically, clothes irons comprise a body having inside a reservoir of water, heating means for producing steam from the water and for heating the usually metallic ironing surface, commonly known as a soleplate. The soleplate may be coated with a non-stick material, for example Teflon®. In use the iron is drawn or pushed across the fabric to be ironed, such fabric being spread across an ironing board or other large flat surface. Steam is emitted through apertures in the ironing surface to assist in crease removal. The combination of heat, moisture and pressure acts to remove wrinkles in the fabric being ironed.
The iron is of substantial weight intended for it to bear down on the fabric spread on the ironing board and assist in wrinkle removal. A disadvantage of such irons is their weight, with users often known to suffer arm, shoulder and back strains. This has led to the use of lighter-weight fabrication materials, which has alleviated the negative physical effects to some extent.
Steam is produced by way of a steam generating system in which a valve, the settings of which are managed by the user, allows water to drip from the reservoir and into a heated chamber located behind the heated soleplate. The heat turns the water to steam, which is then discharged through orifices in the soleplate to contact the fabric being ironed.
Another known crease removing apparatus is the trouser press, which has opposed heated major surfaces, between which a pair of trousers is placed while the surfaces are urged together, heating the fabric for crease removal. A disadvantage of this is its limited range of application and its lack of portability.
Industrial presses are known for the pressing of clothing at places such as laundries. Of course, these are not intended to be portable or hand-held, nor indeed are they. In addition, prior devices of the type described above are considered to be big energy consumers.